When I first heard Master Chen Zhonghua talk about clarity, he was referring to our movements which needed to be clear, meaning that if we wanted a body part to move in a particular way, no other body part should compete or be dragged into that movement. For hand-out, the hand must clearly be the leader, whereas for elbow-in, the elbow must clearly be the leader. When we practice yilu, we must learn to do it in a segmented way, like writing block letters rather than cursive. We must first establish a train track in our bodies, so our actions will cause our body parts to move along the track (in other words, according to specific principles). The opponent may be fooled by our actions, but we certainly must be very clear on what we tried to do. In practice, we must have a clear goal, so our practice is focused and can take us there.Read more

In terms of yin yang theory in taijiquan, body and mind are the opposite. They don’t always harmonize in many activities. The body mind connection becomes more and more distant as humans age. The practice of taijiquan, is said to help rebuild the body and mind connection for many people.

In taijiquan, we have a saying “Both hands and the heart are forgotten”, and “The body and mind are harmonized as one”. To be more direct, we say that the learning and the using are the same. Both Grandmasters Chen Fake and Hong Junsheng said, “Practice the way you would use it”. One who can achieve this level of ability is certainly a skilled person. It is unfortunately too difficult to reach this level. Read more

Taiji can certainly be considered a form of specialized technology, and like any specialized technology, this requires special language.

That language is something we have to be very careful of because, in many cases, a word with a ‘common’ meaning often has a special, more extensive, or more precise meaning than the one we would normally attribute to it.

Serious students of the Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method are asked to do as many Yilus as possible for a single day. This practice started in 2001 by Master Chen Zhonghua and is known today as the Yilu Challenge. The 100 Yilu Challenge tests the students courage, endurance and power level. Read more

Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method system produces power through many ways such as structure, angles and adherence. The result is that this type of power is perceived as real in the eyes of the opponent but not such in the eyes of the practitioner himself/herself. This type of power is called perceived power. Read more

Sit the wrist is a special term used in Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method. It means that the wrist must be stretched open into a curved position and then locked into place. This is also part of the Tile Hand requirement.

There are 5 stages of practice. We can also call them five stages of learning. 1. Choreography. This is the first stage. The student only learns to remember the choreography of the routines. Memory of the movements and names of the moves can be used as a method for learning. 2. Coordination. At this stage [...]

We distinguish between movement, which is used for positioning, and action which facilitates rotation. Movement is horizontal in space, forward or backward, left or right. Rotation involves internal vertical adjustments and repositioning of inner space, actions required for directing power outwards, from a stable structure. originally published on 2008/03/03

The shape of the hand in Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method. The hand and fingers are shaped like an ancient Chinese roof tile. This ensures that the base is tight and the fingers span out. Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 5 min. In: English Year: 2012 Difficulty:1/5 At:Maple Ridge, B.C. Canada

On the way from China to Vancouver workshop, Master Chen has a free day to talk and demonstrate basic principle often misunderstood in Taijiquan. Using “Six Sealing and Four Closing” to show how to split of yin and yang. Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 3 min. In: English Year: 2012 Difficulty:2/5 At:Stanley Park Vancouver, Canada [...]

In stepping, the weight must remain in the center. This ensures balance of the body. Move the body weight to one leg. This does not mean shifting weight as in physical shape. Press the body weight onto that leg until you feel that the weight is solidly on that leg. At the same time, the [...]

Pulling energy is also called “Pull back”, or “Roll Back”. In general it is an energy pulling the opponent towards yourself. The key is that your pulling power must originate from your own dantian. It cannot originate from your hand. Here is a video clip to illustrate this point.